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Natural, green, sustainable . . . they’ve become familiar buzzwords over the past decade as Canadians grow ever more conscious of the use of pesticides and hormones in our food and in what we put on our skin.

Recently, a Canadian environmental action group called Environment Defence released study findings that showed dozens of favoured cosmetic brands (such as makeup, shampoo and soap) are contaminated with harmful heavy metals -- think arsenic, cadmium and nickel.

One of the nation’s most vocal advocates for going green, The David Suzuki Foundation, has also added its weight to the issue in the past, with a list of 12 commonly used cosmetic ingredients (the dirty dozen) they believe consumers should avoid.

Consumers looking for local and natural options are in luck, however. Rocky Mountain Soap Company is perhaps the best known example (rockymountainsoap.com), but we’ve found two others that you might not know about: Pure Creations and KlaraCoco, two Calgary-based makers of natural bath and beauty items.

We sat down with them to find out where their concoctions come from, and why they’re passionate about keeping the beauty industry as chemical-free as possible.

KlaraCoco

Who: Sylvia Fonalka creates her KlaraCoco line at her home studio in Calgary.

What: Naturally based creams, bath oils and other body-products for women, men, babies and children.

Why: KlaraCoco is named after Fonalka’s two daughters (Klara and Coco). Fonalka says she became concerned about the soaps and lotions after she had children.

"I went out one day and bought my new baby some very nice, very expensive creams. I was excited to use them, but when I got them home I began to read the labels more carefully," she says.

"I’m not a chemist, but I was concerned about some of the potentially cancer-causing petroleum products and other chemicals I saw on the list."

It was after this incident that she decided to begin making her own natural soaps for her family. Eventually, friends started asking her to make items for them and encouraged her to start her own brand.

Each product comes in beautifully designed packaging, perfect for gifting to a loved one or for treating yourself to something special. KlaraCoco products range in price from $6.99 to about $25 per item. Available online at klaracoco.com.

What: Previously known as Mona Lisa, Pure Creations has been around since 1998. The husband and wife team own and operate the Pure Creations Spa (544 4th St. N.W.), where they provide products and services such as skin assessments and facials, as well as pedicures and manicures.

The Chetas develop and make their products in their spa lab -- everything from lotions and sera to cleansers and toners.

"I have women that have been coming to me for ages for help with their skin. Now, they’re bringing their daughters," Maria says.

Why: The Chetas believe natural ingredients are healthier and more beneficial to the skin.

"The main motivation of the creams has always been to use natural ingredients. Natural has become more popular with people. It’s not just a farmers’ market, hippy-dippy idea anymore. It’s become mainstream," says Maria. Pure Creations follows guidelines set out by CERTECH, a privately owned Canadian organization that offers organic certification services Maria says all of her products are made of 95 per cent natural ingredients, with at least 50 per cent certified organics.

The David Suzuki Foundation lists these 12 ingredients, often found in mainstream cosmetics (from shampoos and soaps to toothpaste and makeup), as worthy of avoiding. They’re variously targeted as being linked to cancer, interfering with hormone function or causing other health problems. For more information, visit davidsuzuki.org.

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